indentThe Forest of Boland Railway
is quite fictional.v Yes, there is a Forest of Bowland (in
the North West of England and not particularly sylvan...), but it never had a railway like
this.v The landscape of the area is however, sufficiently
wild to perhaps once have been the setting for a wonderful 1950's book called, "The
Forest of Boland Light Railway" by the children's author "B.B." (as he
signed himself).v I believe he was also a Professor of
something or other who wrote highly technical treatises about science - but we are
concerned here with his imagination from which he produced a wonderful series of three
"Gnome" books.v Two, "The Little Grey
Men" and "The Little Grey Men go down the Bright Stream", tell the
wonderful story of the last four gnomes in England but unfortunately they have nothing to
do with railways.indentHis other work though, the title noted above, deals
with a period perhaps a thousand years earlier when there was, it seems, a considerable
population of these little people.v You should naturally
avail yourself of a copy if you can, since I consider it a much under-rated tale, and
although not in print as I write this, reprints do occasionally take place if demand is
sufficient.v (Or 'Google' it...!)v
For now however, these photographs might just give you a flavour of this delightful and
humorous story.v It certainly makes for a very unusual model!